Pakistan’s 27th Amendment puts Munir at top, reshapes military command structure — full changes

In addition to institutionalising Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir as the country’s czar, the 27th Amendment has redefined the civil-military relationship and the command-and-control structure of the armed forces.

While the Army has long held primacy in Pakistan, its superiority over the Air Force and Navy is now formally enshrined.

Constitutionally, Army chiefs and their fellow service chiefs could now be equal to the president — and placed well above the prime minister.

The Pakistani government introduced the 27th Amendment on Saturday. The bill advanced on Sunday when a joint sitting of parliamentary law and justice committees approved it. It is expected to pass within weeks.

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The amendment comes at a time when Munir has been consolidating power for months. He has undertaken foreign trips —including to Washington DC— where he has met world leaders in a manner more typical of heads of state or government, further cementing his status as the country’s de facto leader.

Full changes under the 27th Amendment

According to the text tabled in the Senate, the Pakistani army chief shall concurrently serve as Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF).

The CDF is a newly created rank that the Army chief will hold. With this additional charge, the Army chief will outrank the Air Force and Navy chiefs — ending the longstanding tradition of being the ‘first among equals’ or ‘co-equal service chiefs’. To further consolidate power, the longstanding position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee has been abolished.

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Under the proposal, the prime minister shall appoint the Commander of the National Strategic Command (NSC) on the recommendation of the Army chief, from among members of the Army.

The NSC appears to be either a new body or a rebranded version of the entity responsible for Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Until now, the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA), nominally headed by the prime minister, has held this role, while the Strategic Plans Division (SPD) Force has physically secures the arsenal.

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The proposal also states that a field marshal and their Air Force and Navy equivalents —Marshal of the Air Force and Admiral of the Fleet— shall not be removed from office except through parliamentary impeachment under Article 47 of the Constitution, the same provision that governs the removal of the president.

While the 27th Amendment is wide-ranging, the most notable changes concern the military and have dominated headlines. For the full list of amendments, refer to the document embedded above.